


Nothing ever goes to plan

by Cyndagirl



Series: Yog Vale [1]
Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Carlos is Human, Cecil is Inhuman, Fluff, M/M, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-09
Updated: 2014-05-18
Packaged: 2018-01-24 03:24:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1589897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cyndagirl/pseuds/Cyndagirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Carlos is known to Cecil to be someone who is always prepared, constantly planning things as if it were second nature to him. Unfortunately, many of his latest plans have been falling apart following a few- mishaps- of Night Vale.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Acting odd

Early December. It was dark and deathly silent by the time Cecil left the radio tower. He'd been at work all day, not always recording of course, sometimes just organising the interns and tidying his desk. It was always very busy at the community radio station, especially at 8 in the evening, when Cecil usually left, with interns busily carrying around boxes and going out with phones and laptops at the ready.  
The cold quickly rushed at him in the form of an icy wind but he clenched his teeth and waited patiently for a bus. He had, stupidly, left his coat at home, seeing that it was very nice weather when he left at 11 in the morning, grabbing a coffee for the trip. Now, as the lights up and above the radio tower gleamed in the crisp night, he wished he could be back home with a warm drink and some company, or at least have a coat. It seemed like he had been standing there for at least half an hour before he could see the vague form of headlights in the distance, he got his hopes up with the thought of it being his bus and grabbed his bus pass in his hand, not taking it out of his pocket though. To his dismay, the shape turned out to be a car, not just any car though, a recognisable car, a car he had been in, Carlos' car. He wondered why Carlos would be driving around town at this time at night and waved gently, wondering if Carlos, beautiful, perfect Carlos, had seen him.   
Beautiful, perfect Carlos, had in fact seen him and pulled up next to the bus stop, not looking at Cecil as he got into the car. Cecil stared at him for what must have been about, 5 seconds straight before being able to think of anything coherent to say.  
"Thanks."  
Carlos didn't look at him, just tutted as he turned the car swiftly and expertly into a side road,   
"You left your coat at home. Again." He scolded, tapping the steering wheel slightly.   
"Yeah I-"   
"And you forgot to take the box of cat food in for Khoshekh "  
"Well yeah because-"  
"You left your watch on the side table too."  
Cecil just sighed. He leant back and the two spent the rest of the journey in a taut silence. It wasn't until Carlos turned off the engine of the old land rover, that Cecil realised they were back  
at the apartment. As Carlos was just about to get out, Cecil leaned over and grabbed his hand gently, "I'm sorry." He whispered pleadingly as Carlos turned to face him. He was met with a smile as Carlos withdrew his hand.   
"I've been thinking recently-" Carlos started. As he got out of the car, Cecil rolled his eyes, not this again, he thought. He always turned the conversation to his work. It didn't bother him too much, but sometimes he just wished that Carlos understood the value of silence. Carlos was opening the door, nothing unusual, except he had no key, he banged his head against the door in frustration,  
"I left the key on the table. I left the key on the table!" He muttered to himself.   
"Yeah. Well done smart one." Cecil replied, smirking and standing directly behind Carlos, turning the key in the lock mechanism and wrapping one arm around his waist. "Well done." He chuckled. They both scrambled up the stairs, Carlos nearly forgot to lock the car doors but remembered just soon enough not to have to run back down the stairs. He refused to let go of Cecil's hand as they bolted up to the apartment and into the living room/kitchenette. Almost as soon as he figured out where he was standing he felt Carlos pulling him in for a kiss, which of course he returned passionately, carefully ruffling his boyfriends perfect hair, making sure not to mess it up. Cecil put his arm around Carlos, pulling him closer and deepening the kiss, he felt himself lose his balance and had to pull away before he lost it completely and fell over.  
"You were thinking?" Cecil asked, remembering that Carlos never finished what he was talking about earlier.  
Carlos shook his head and stroked his cheek gently, he took off Cecil's glasses playfully. He blinked a few times to clear his vision but had to step back slightly and rub his deep purple eyes, he sighed and reached for his glasses, missing completely. Carlos picked them up and walked off, Cecil stumbled after him, "Please, you know I can't see without them" he complained just before he walked into the door frame to the bedroom. Unlike most people, he didn't shout, or get angry for walking into it, he just looked at it blindly, rubbed his forehead and leant against it. "Okay, c'mon, you've had your fun. Give me the glasses now or-" He paused, unable to think of anything.  
"Or?" He heard Carlos shout from the bedroom.  
"Or I won't give you any air time, even if you do find something spectacular." Cecil finished, straightening his tie as though it made him seem more professional, despite having just ran into a wall. He heard footsteps approaching and put his hand out, he felt something cold pressed into his hand and he grasped it, putting his glasses back on. He blinked again, seeing Carlos standing in front of him, almost giggling.  
"I'm gonna go and re-heat you some dinner in the microwave, so whatever you're going to do, be quick, please." Carlos said, giving him a peck on the cheek and going back into the kitchen. Cecil couldn't help but smile, he walked into the bedroom blearily and got changed, eyes half closed. It had been a long day, loads of reports, the usual taking over by some strange entity driven to command- or kill- the community that resides within Night Vale and of course, keeping up with the activities that still haven't been understood at the building site. He followed his orders and got changed quickly, coming back into the living room to find some pasta and a slice of garlic bread on the table.  
Carlos had, by the looks of it, wandered off to have a shower, but just as he started eating he heard the front door close. He got up and looked out of the window, Carlos was walking down the street, somewhat hurried, he looked as if there was someone really important he had to meet. Cecil just left a text for him, asking where he was headed, and finished eating, but quickly realised he was far too tired to go on a chase of his selectively nocturnal boyfriend. He curled up on the couch, instinctively leaving enough space for Carlos to sit down, even though he wasn't even there, switched it on to one of the government approved channels and watched aimlessly. He didn't know what time he ended up falling asleep, but whatever time it was, he was still tired when he felt and gentle hand on his leg, shaking it and a voice telling him to wake up.   
"Cecil. Ce-cil, wakey wakey." He heard Carlos chime.   
It was still dark when he blearily opened his eyes, "Whyyy-?" He asked laboriously, stretching and almost kicking Carlos in the chest as he did.   
"You can't possible be comfortable on the sofa, you'll wake up with back pains and neck cramps and who knows what else." Carlos replied, moving out of the way just quick enough not to get hit. Trust the scientist to think of all of this, trust him to think he wouldn't be back tonight, trust him to want a cup of coffee at- what time is it again?  
"I was comfy" Cecil retorted, ignoring the thought of wanting a coffee, and trudged in to the bedroom, crawling under the sheets. He'd been woken up now, he couldn't fall asleep. He looked at the watch on his side table, 11:30, it read. He let out a retired sigh and closed his eyes, pressing his head into the soft pillow, putting his arm around Carlos and not moving when he went to kiss him, right on the mark on his forehead. He winced, not from pain, just from feeling like there should be pain there. The two touched noses and fell asleep, he didn't know where Carlos had gone, he didn't care, he'd find out in the morning, probably.  
In the dead of night, he had the usual dreams, purple dragons, strange figures, not hooded, just strange. Purple eyes like his but not quite the same. Same dreams, every night. He knew why, he just wouldn't tell anyone, there was no point unless it put someone in danger. In Night Vale, he had the chance not to be asked questions about that kind of stuff.  
His cousin didn't have the same luck, messing with magic had left more than just a mark on him, he was never able to take his mask off after the incident. That was what put him off it, off magic and all that it encompassed. In Night Vale, he found that nobody questioned his purple eyes, white- blonde hair or purple markings on his arms or the even stranger marking on his forehead. Heck, the most normal- perfect even, and handsome and beautiful and smart person in Night Vale hadn't questioned it, or maybe he had, maybe it was when they had first met. He didn't remember much from when they first met other than the outstanding perfection of his thick black hair, the clarity of his dark, hypnotic, hazel eyes and his handsome and well kept figure.   
He was happy, content, he had everything he could ever want, a good job, a handsome and caring boyfriend, an apartment that wasn’t under constant maintenance, a floating and spined cat, two cars- although one desperately needed working on after the sandstorm, there was something in the trunk of the other one too- but he didn’t want to open it just in case.   
As much as he wanted to hide it from him, he had been looking for nice rings in town centre, but none of them seemed- quite right. Carlos hadn't suspected it- yet- but he was certain he would find something right soon.   
His thoughts were somewhat disconnected, Carlos had been acting odd lately, maybe it was something he’d done, or something that had happened. He didn’t know, but he’d get to the bottom of it soon enough.


	2. Those eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carlos gets a bit starstruck when he looks into Cecil's eyes and Cecil is well- confused, to say the least.

Cecil woke up to the buzzing of his phone on the side table, he groaned quietly and turned over to grab it. He felt like he could sleep until evening still, but he had to get up. He turned back over, thinking Carlos would have been awoken by the noisy rattling of his phone on the side table, but he was still sound asleep. He was so cute when he was asleep, Cecil couldn't possibly wake him up. He got up and made them both a cup of coffee, as per usual, the fridge was bleeding, but the mechanic hadn't come to fix it in the middle of the night yet so they had both just learnt to ignore it. The light was strained against the curtains as he opened them, the town seemed settled- at 7 in the morning- when everyone was getting up to the sound of the screaming sunrise which was thankfully not too audible from this side of town. He realised with a shock that he'd left his glasses on the side table next to his bed, he crept into the bedroom with his breath held. Carlos was still asleep, Cecil whispered a 'Thank god' to no one in particular and grabbed his glasses, adjusting them as he walked back out. Carlos was stirring, just as Cecil had walked out, so he grabbed Carlos' coffee and brought it in, placing it next to a sleepy-eyed Carlos. Cecil's heart skipped a beat, even now, after they had been together for over two years, he couldn't get over just how adora- handsome- Carlos was.

"It's ten past 7, just incase you were planning on having a sleep-in" Cecil said, hiding a probably ridiculous looking smile.

Carlos sat up reluctantly and looked at the coffee on the table. He murmured something inaudible to Cecil under his breath before grabbing the cup and having a sip. Cecil looked over and raised an eyebrow questioningly but Carlos just shook his head. Knowing him it was probably something sciency that had just occurred to him. Cecil shrugged, he had gotten used to it by now he went into the kitchen and finished his coffee, ate some toast and began putting things away around the apartment. Carlos trudged in and put his cup next to the sink with Cecil's, grabbed a slice of toast and read the newspaper, the headline was, as it had been for the past couple of days, about the re-election.

"Hiram's gonna win again" Cecil said from the living room, whilst fluffing up the pillows and checking for venomous snakes.

"Mmmh. I don't know..." Carlos said in between bites of 'toast'. He hated that they couldn't have normal bread but, after what had happened with the wheat and wheat by-products, he couldn't really argue with Cecil when he said they would get a substitute for it.

"Where did you disappear to last night? And- when did you get back?" Cecil asked, remembering that he never got a text back from him.

"Oh, I just went to lock up- one of my team lost his keys to the building" He said quietly, skimming through an article about the problems of having dogs around children.

Cecil looked at his watch and jumped, "Carlos- it's nearly quarter to"

"What?! Already? Oh god okay, I don't want to be late for a work again." Carlos said, finishing his breakfast and leaving the paper on the kitchen counter. Cecil put the paper away and hurriedly followed, he usually left when Carlos did since his bus could take anywhere from an hour to 3 days to get to the station, depending on who was driving. Thankfully, it rarely took 3 days, as that was only when the hooded figures were driving, which was, uncommon, to say the least. Carlos had 'tossed' his shirt and waistcoat neatly on the bed. He turned his back to Carlos, took off his glasses and was getting changed- unaware that Carlos was just staring at him. He turned around to get his shirt and found himself nose to nose with Carlos which made him jump. Carlos was just staring into his eyes, unable to pull himself away, he couldn't move, his heart was skipping beats, which was unusual, he only ever felt that when he was scared, but he wasn't scared, he was still, not moving for a while, he couldn’t recall how long, but he remembered Cecil asking if he was okay.

"Your eyes." Carlos breathed, he couldn't describe it, he hadn't seen them like this before. Cecil looked confused but he continued regardless, in a trance like he’d been put under a spell, "They're beautiful, they're magical- like amethysts, it's like they're glowing. They're so beautiful- like you..."

Carlos couldn't breathe, did he just say that? He couldn't believe he did, it wasn't like him to say that, why would he say that? He was a scientist he wasn't supposed to think like that but-

He walked out, or ran out, he couldn't remember, he remembered almost hyperventilating when he hit the ground floor, trying to get the door open with numb hands. He burst out of the door and slammed it shut, panting.

"Oh god. What just happened? I bet Cecil thinks I've gone mad, oh god, I just ran out and left Cecil there, what if he thinks- oh, god...." Carlos stuttered, in between shallow breaths. He had to sort himself out, he had his bag, some money to get some lunch, keys, phone, everything, good. He started the car, the rattle and groan of whatever was hiding in the trunk drowned out his breathing so he started the engine the engine and pulled out of the space and to work, not even having to think about what he was doing. He was fine, he just needed to calm down, he had to admit to himself though, Cecil’s eyes really were beautiful.

"A scientist should always be self reliant" He said to himself, he was worried he'd be eating those words, it seemed like whenever he was stuck Cecil was there, always there. He shook his head and put it out of his mind, no doubt something would happen today that would help him forget- not that he could really see a reason as to why he needed to.

 

Cecil was left standing, wondering what the hell had just happened. His heart picked up the pace as he ran through what had actually happened in his mind, one moment Carlos was standing there- the next he was gone. He couldn't think, his mind just seemed like it was been drugged. He found himself asking the open air whether Carlos was okay, which, it seemed, he was not. Maybe there was something in his coffee? No, because he'd drunk it too. Why had Carlos been acting so out of character lately? Just a few days ago he had been his normal, somewhat stubborn, calm, collected self, but now he was being a bit well- eccentric? Maybe there was something on his mind...

He sat on the bed, finding himself straightening his tie before he even remembered putting on his shirt. Before he knew it he was standing by the bus stop, he'd remembered everything by the looks of it, food for Khoshekh, keys, phone, watch. His mind was occupied for the rest of the day, the station had been overrun by flesh eating wasps so he was busy either in his booth or swatting the massive bugs. He had pretty good aim so he lasted without getting bitten for most of the day. He sent an emergency text to Carlos, asking him if there was a bug spray strong enough to kill the little devils in his lab, which- fortunately- there was. Once that was cleared up, with the help of Carlos and his team of newly qualified pest control, it was approaching evening so Cecil said he was leaving for the

night since there wasn't all that much left for him to do. The Sheriff's secret police had let out a warning about the wasps, after they disrupted Cecil's broadcast, so there weren't nearly as many people out on the street as there normally would. That- and the fact that street cleaning day had been just a week ago- had really halted sales in the Night Vale main street.

The two of them walked for what seemed like hours in silence, hand in hand. Carlos slowed as they passed an Indian Restaurant, presumably to try and get a glance at the menu from the window. It wasn't open yet, but the lights were on and there were waiters busily humming around the restaurant floor, putting down reservation signs and laying tables where necessary. Indian was one of Cecil's favourite, among other foods, but he knew Carlos wasn't much in for the spice so he wondered why he'd stopped to have a look.

When they got back to the apartment, Cecil found there was no milk left, so he disappeared to get some from the store that was only ever open at night, just down the road. He waited until he heard the front door shut and went into the bedroom, rummaging in the bottom of his work satchel for the box, which was thankfully well hidden. This was the first time he'd seen it since he bought it last night, he couldn't tell Cecil where he'd gone or he would have gotten suspicious. A gold ring was the only thing in the box, a large amethyst set into the centre with small diamonds around it. The band had a pattern on it that reminded him of Cecil's arms and when the light hit it just right, the purple glow from the amethyst filled the grooves in the gold. He looked at it, mind completely void of anything but what had happened that day. Cecil knew there was something wrong, he must do, he did. He could see it in his eyes this morning along with what seemed to be the whole universe of stars captured in his eyes…

He sighed happily and closed the box, legs crossed on the bed. Now he just had to think about when he was going to do it, when he would strike up the courage to propose to him. He couldn’t get the thought out of his head no matter how hard he tried. It seemed like every day it was something different, he was supposed to be the one who could hold in his feelings, while Cecil constantly spoke about- well it was obvious really. But everyday there was something new that he would fall completely and undoubtedly in love with. He knew there was no way he could be human, or at least- normally human. Night Vale was the one problem that Carlos could never come to the bottom of and he loved it, everyday something would change his perspective of Night Vale, and 9/10 times it was Cecil who did it.

  
  



	3. A day to remember

“Welcome back from the weather listeners. It seems that the tempest has calmed somewhat, but I’m getting reports that the leaves, that have now been identified as being from the whispering forest, are now being blown in packs around Night Vale and are still attacking those who are outside of their homes or protective shelters. Do not. I repeat- Do NOT go outside under any circumstances- until this has been resolved. Unfortunately, the radio station is still surrounded so I don’t think I will be going out for dinner with Carlos- perfect Carlos- tonight.”   
Carlos smiled, leaning against Cecil in the radio tower as he did his usual broadcast. Things hadn’t exactly gone to plan for him today- nothing usually did in Night Vale. As was the nature of this strange and unpredictable town. It did keep you on your toes though, what with having to check your surroundings for a number of different, ‘strange’ anomalies every 10 seconds. This morning, he had hoped the day would stick to his plan but he (and Night Vale’s unpredictability) had managed to muck everything up. 

He’d gotten up and had a shower as usual, roughly styled his hair to keep it out of his face while he was working and went to his lab, only to find everything that wasn’t stuck permanently to the floor floating. He spent an hour- or two- trying to figure out why everything was floating, of all things, when he realised he had forgotten to pay for gravity last week. He let out a retired sigh as he floated in the lab, avoiding bottles and desks. He awkwardly managed to find some money and an envelope, wrote ‘gravity’ on it and set fire to it- as was the custom. A minute or so later he found himself cowering on the floor while glass bottles dropped on the floor and smashed. After he was certain that everything he had been working on for the past few months was completely destroyed- he got up and looked in horror at the mess. The radio was undamaged so he turned it on and to his delight heard Cecil talking about John Peters- you know, the farmer?- and his bumper crop. Glass absolutely littered the place, it must have taken him at least two hours to clean up- by which time it was nearly lunch and Cecil was taking his break. His phone buzzed on an almost completely destroyed table- now precariously held together with duct tape. Carlos sighed, he hadn’t even had a chance to have breakfast yet. He picked up his phone and stared in horrified disbelief at the text.  
“We are truly sorry but your reservation had to be cancelled today due to an infestation of fire rats that have set fire to the building.”  
Carlos sat down on a creaking chair, also roughly geld together with duct tape and leant his hand on his head, still spinning from the lack of gravity earlier.   
“What am I going to do?” He muttered to himself, almost crying.

He had spent the last couple of weeks planning tonight out- the table, time, waiter, music, making sure there would be adequate light and oxygen to exist, ect ect. Now, everything was ruined. No- no it wasn’t, he wouldn’t give in yet, he could still pull this together- somehow. His stomach was growling so he went to get some lunch from Big Rico’s, just to tide him over until later. He had to sprint back though because he was getting lashed at by ferocious leaves. By the time he got back it was nearly time for him to pick Cecil up from the station. He dipped and swerved to avoid leaves as he ran to his car. The car door slammed shut just as three leaves thudded into it.   
Note to self- never plan anything  
He thought, pulling out into Night Vale’s high street. In the distance a tornado ripped through where Night Vale elementary should be, it was throwing things everywhere. Thankfully he had to drive the opposite way to get to the station. Not-so=thankfully, the amount of leaves seemed to increase exponentially. He parked in the community radio station parking lot but didn’t get out. He dialed for Cecil while he was sat in the car, unsure of whether to try to get into the station or not.  
“Hey Cecil” He said, the scratching of leaves against his car in the background.  
“Heya. There might be a few issues with picking me up.” Cecil replied, still using his beautiful and soothing radio voice.  
“Mhh, I know. I’m outside. I might be able to get it but-”  
“Not back out again.” Cecil finished.  
“Yeah. Look I’ll try to get in, at least then I don’t have to sit in my car until this all blows over.” Carlos said, obviously not looking forward to getting ripped to pieces by leaves.  
Cecil laughed, he didn’t know why, but it reassured him regardless.  
“Okay” He finally responded, “but be careful.”  
“I will.” Carlos said calmly. He ended the call and got everything together. Using his jacket as a shield he bolted into the radio station, the angry rustling of the leaves muffled by the steel door that locked itself behind him. He climbed the stairs and navigated the corridors to Cecil’s recording booth. He was drinking his coffee and leaning back, away from his mic, so he assumed that he had cut to the weather when Carlos had called.

Things really couldn’t have gone worse for Carlos that day, every one of his plans had failed. He was trapped in the radio station for who knows how long and the odd weather showed no signs of letting up This was what he thought about as he leant against Cecil (who was now avidly and animatedly talking about Khoshekh to his audience. Reminiscing about when Khoshekh himself still lived floating above a sink in the men’s bathroom). He smiled at his misfortune. A-totally-not-illegal-notepad-and-pen-type-thing caught his eye on Cecil’s desk. He grabbed it, looking at Cecil to see if he approved, but he was fixated on talking about his favourite (and only) pet.  
He looked through and blushed, on some pages were ideas for the program but, on most there were beautifully drawn (and surprisingly accurate) drawings of him and him and Cecil. most of them had ‘Most beautiful, perfect and caring scientist: Carlos’ written underneath, which made him him chuckle to himself (he had to keep quiet so he didn’t disturb Cecil). He looked at the radio presenter with fond eyes, he wasn’t sure what he was so worried about. Sure, Cecil could be just as stubborn as him sometimes, but he was just Cecil. Just- perfect, adorable, strange and funny Cecil. Just- protective, caring, loving and sometimes over the top Cecil. He realised that he didn’t have to go and plan everything. Maybe now would be perfect, an unpredictable event in an unpredictable town during unpredictable weather. 

Cecil had left his radio on in the lab.  
“Thanks listeners, for being so concerned about Khoshekh, he is perfectly fine thankfully. There isn’t much else to report I’m afraid listeners, so I will come back to you later. So for now-”  
“Wait. Cecil-”  
That was unexpected, none of the listeners even knew Carlos was there.  
“What is it Carlos?”   
“Can I ask you something?”  
“Uh- huh.”  
Cecil seemed just as confused as everyone listening. There was a slight shuffling heard through the mic. No one really knew what was going on.  
“I had this all planned out- but plans don’t work in Night Vale, like time, or gravity…”  
No one. Not even old Woman Josie, saw what was about to happen coming. Again there was shuffling and Cecil gasped.  
What was even going on?  
“Cecil Gershwin Palmer-”  
A town filled with held breaths.  
“- Will you marry me?”

Silence. Confusing silence at first. Understood silence afterwards. Cecil had turned off his mic. Never once in his radio presenting career had he turned his mic off mid-recording. Especially not before saying good night…  
Silence filled the air, a tangible feeling of worry, stress and other confusing emotions was felt around every radio, even in the empty lab.

“Good night- Night Vale. Good night.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really get the feeling that I should just delete the first two chapters and carry on from here.  
> Maybe I will.  
> I probably will.  
> If I ever update this that is...


End file.
